This invention pertains to a female electrical contact having opposed pin-receiving openings. The opposed openings engage male contacts such as pin members received therein so as to require forces of different magnitude to engage and disengage the pins relative to the opposed contact ends.
Accordingly, the provided contacts find particular applicability for use in connectors adapted to effect a connection between pins affixed to two or more PC boards or plugs. By virtue of the differential in pin-engaging forces effected by opposed portions of the provided contacts, one of two interconnected PC boards may be readily released from an intervening electrical connector without disturbing the other board-connector engagement. By exerting a separation force on PC boards joined by the provided contacts, the pins of one PC board will be first released from the connector by virtue of the lesser gripping forces exerted on the contacts of such first-released board by the connector contacts having less pin-gripping action.
The provided contact construction is simple in basic design and readily adaptable to incorporation in a variety of structural modifications. Such modifications enable the contacts to be mounted in an insulator in a variety of fixed relationships providing a variety of connector constructions. Contacts of this invention may be readily connected to a ground plane if desired, and provide for a variety of pin-engaging modes in the course of effecting electrical connections such connections may be effected with male contacts of a PC board, or of male plug multi-pin connectors, or of any device having male contact portions for reception in the opposed female portions of the provided contacts.